Big ideas to flip troubled westside shopping centre

Units, restaurants, medical facilities, a gym and childcare could all be part of a planned redevelopment of a shopping centre in Brisbane’s west. TAKE OUR POLL

Bellbowrie Shopping Plaza could be transformed into units with reality and restaurants according to industry experts.

The four big ideas come after shock news broke last week that Metcash, parent company of supermarket franchise IGA, had no plans to move into the troubled centre.

While the centre’s owner appeared to have no plans to sell and recently started work on an upgrade estimated at $12 million, many think the mid-1970s structure should be demolished. But opinions are divided on what should replace it.

One Brisbane IGA franchise owner with building experience believed that, without a supermarket anchor, the best option would be to demolish the building.

He thought a mixed-use project, including restaurants, units and possibly lifestyle tenants such as a gym, would be the best form of development.

Attempts to contact the owner were unsuccessful.

Qld shopping centres: The battles to get them built, stopped or changed

Construction work near the former Coles. A sign still says a new supermarket is coming.

Westside News spoke to two retail/planning experts and the local federal Member about their views.

But what do you think? Take our poll.

Only 13 cars were in the front carpark on a recent Thursday morning.

GARY MORTIMER, QUT RETAIL EXPERT

Professor Gary Mortimer.

Prof Mortimer, who has advocated for a mixed-use redevelopment of the flood-wrecked Toombul Shopping Centre site, said that was not necessarily the best option at Bellbowrie.

He said the centre was a good example of what happened when an anchor tenant pulled out and how important they were to the fortunes of shopping centre.

“You will never get a full-line supermarket back at Bellbowrie, although you could have a ColesLocal or Woolworths Metro, which take up only about a third of the space,’’ he said.

“The easy solution is to tear it down but there are examples of redoing these older retail spaces, particularly Everton Plaza.

“It used to have a bottle shop, Commonwealth Bank and cafe. It was the local shopping (hub), but was getting very tired.

“Then Woolworths set up in direction competition across the road in a new centre.

“Everyone thought that was the end for Everton Plaza, particularly after the bank closed.

“But the bank space is now a rooftop bar, there’s a lot of eateries — a Korean chicken restaurant, a Thai, a Vietnamese bakery and a couple of coffee shops.

“It should have died, been bulldozed and turned into units.

“But now it’s now a great place to eat and meet and people literally shop at Woolworths and walk across the road to grab a coffee or something to eat.’’

Prof Mortimer said as well as restaurants, which were in short supply in Bellbowrie and surrounding suburbs, childcare centres or other services important for the area’s young families could work at the Bellbowrie Shopping Plaza site.

DORINA POJANI, UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND URBAN RENEWAL EXPERT

University of Queensland urban planning expert Dr Dorina Pojani.

Dr Pojani said demolishing the building was not a climate-friendly option, while replacing it with housing posed more complications than adaptively reusing the building for a high school or health services.

“But it’s is an old-fashioned design which is no longer the sort of retail space people want,’’ she said.

“What they do want is something like West Village in West End.

“It has Woolworths and Harris Farm as anchors, a ton of restaurants and cafes, open green space and looks like a public space, not privately owned.’’

She said the Bellbowrie owner’s plans to raise and redesign the existing, floodprone carpark was a good idea, but had to be done carefully to ensure the ground level remained attractive.

“There are also good examples of this in West End where there are large murals, playgrounds and green spaces under (overhead) rail lines,’’ Dr Pojani said.

“It’s important to think about it creatively, but ultimately it will pay off if you give people input from the start.

“Whatever happens needs to be bottom-up and led by the community.’’

ELIZABETH WATSON-BROWN

Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown. Picture: Lachie Millard

The local federal Greens MP is an architect and former partner at leading firm Architectus and adjunct professor of architecture at the University of Queensland.

She campaigned before the election to have the site turned into a new high school, saying it could be raised on piles to address flood risk.

“The 4ha Bellbowrie Plaza site could be an amazing opportunity for the local community.

“IGA falling through is just the latest reminder that something needs to be done.

“At the community forum that I hosted in Moggill over the weekend with 140 locals, one of the things the community were united about was the need for more services in the local area.

“This would have the added advantage of taking a large number of cars off Moggill Rd.

“The Bellbowrie Plaza could be a great location for these local services, such as a high school, a community centre, and specialist medical facilities.”

Ms Watson-Brown said Council, the state and/or federal governments should consider buying the site, but the Bellbowrie owner was not believed to be interested in selling.

She said flood risk had to be seriously considered and any new development carefully designed to take that into account.